I have recently just signed up and recieved my RushCard in the mail. It took less than a week to get it. The only serious issue I had with the card is the $9.95 activation fee. I feel that it was very misleading. However, I should have taken more time to read the fine print. I think all of us are guilty of this one time or another. It said it would only be a $3.95 activation fee, however when I added funds to my account the bank deducted $9.95. This I can live with, because there is no monthly fee, as other cards have the fee. Next time I will read the fine print more carefully!

I have been using the rush card for about a year and everything is going good.It is a good way to keep your money safe.I also like the $5 referral bonus I get when I refer someone and they signup for the card.What really attracted me to rush card is the no minimum balance feature and there is also no monthly fees.But there is a $1 fee for each transaction.Again the card is great way to make online purchases.It is very simple to use and the design of the cards is very attractive. You can track all your transactions online which is very convenient.This card is very helpful if for some reason you cant get a bank account.Just think if you were able to refer 20 people a month, that would be an extra $100 you could have, it's not that hard to do and very worth it.

This is Russell Simmons’ card isn’t it? He’s like the celebrity prepaid card pioneer, seeing as Lil Wayne, Suze Orman, the Kardashians, entered the fray after him. But is the first the best or is the first the worst? That depends on the BabyPhat Prepaid Card’s fees, as I’ve come to learn, it always does with prepaid cards. So why don’t we make a little fee oriented pro/con list to see if the BabyPhat Card is worth getting?

Pros

- No Monthly Fee: That’s more than a lot of prepaid cards can say, but while the monthly fee is an important charge to consider, you really need to look at the fees as a whole before making a final decision.
- Free Customer service: ditto to the above.
Unfortunately, that’s it for the BabyPhat Prepaid Visa RushCard’s pros, so bring on the cons like a prison break.

Cons

- Activation fee : You have to pay nearly $10 just to get the BabyPhat Rush Card; that stinks.
- Cost of using your own money: Really Russ, really? You have to pay to use your own money, $1 whenever you want to make a purchase and $1.95 each time you withdraw cash from an ATM.

Ultimately, I think the verdict on the BabyPhat Prepaid Visa RushCard is clear. It’s just too expensive to warrant getting, especially given the alternatives. I like the GreenDot Prepaid Card and the Amex Prepaid Card because both can be free, the GreenDot if you direct deposit your monthly paycheck and Amex if you only take cash out once a month.

Maybe I’m not Russell Simmons’ target audience, but I’m not sure I’d get a financial product with “Baby Phat” in its name (especially when fat is spelled with a “ph). I know this is Simmon’s clothing brand, but still. Anyway, let’s give the BabyPhat Prepaid Visa RushCard a fair shake. The primary thing you want to look at when evaluating a prepaid card is its fees, especially in terms of how they relate to your intended usage. The most important fees are generally those that are fixed (i.e. you can’t get around them based on strategic account management) and fees for ATM withdrawal (you’re going to want access to your cash). While the BabyPhat Rush Card does not have a monthly fee, it does charge a $14.95 activation fee as well as $2.50 for your third and subsequent ATM withdrawals each month (the Rush Card does not charge you for your first 2 ATM withdrawals each month, but ATM owner fees may still apply and the average such fee is $2.33). Using your card to make a purchase directly results in a $1 also. So for example, if you make two ATM withdrawals each month as well as 4 purchases with the Rush Card, it’ll cost you $9.91/mo. That’s just too much.

You’ll need some alternatives to the Russell Simmons prepaid card then. Before you get too excited, I’m not going to recommend the Lil Wayne Card, the Suze Orman Card or the Kardashian Card (which is discontinued). Instead, I recommend looking for a card that offers free in-network ATM use and does not have many fixed costs. The Green Dot Prepaid Card fits the bill because withdrawals are free at 35,000 in network ATMs and the $5.95 monthly fee gets waived when you deposit at least $1,000 in a month (easily met by directly depositing your paycheck). That’s why it is a good checking account replacement. If you’re looking for an allowance vessel to teach your kids money management, the Amex Prepaid Card is the way to go since it has a simple fee structure and is relatively inexpensive for a young person’s typical usage habits. Ultimately, regardless of what card you choose its pretty clear that the BabyPhat Prepaid Visa Rush Card is neither pretty hot nor tempting.